Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-12-23
EVA'S LESSON.

l. a y LEiNNON.
There were indications of domestic
storm brewing as Richard Hayes entered
his house at 7 clock one fine evening in
June; his little 3-year-old Mary ran
eagerly to meet him, and baby Harry
stretched out his dimpled hands and
prattled a glad welcome, but his wife's
face showed that no pleasant greeting
awaited him from her.
so you have condescended to put in
an appearance at last.' she said angrilv.
concluded you intended to stay all night
watching that silly baseball game and
guiding beer
Richard 5 face flushed painfully at the
last taunt, so wholly undeserved. AL
though harsh words We're becoming of
almost daily occurrence in his once
happy home, he felt them most keenly
now. as they were uttered in the presence
of an intimate friend. who had never be-
fore seen these too frequent outbursts of
anger.
"Well. come to supper. Eva said I'M
graciousiy; you have kept us waiting
all HOUR. anu L We ITO uOuDt AldTlCt Is
half starved"
Clarice protested pleasantly and Rich
ard made courteous excuses for his de-
lay, but Eva was too angry and impa-
tent to heed them. Her sharp words
and unkind reproaches marred all the
pleasure there might have been at her
neatly spread supper table
At the earliest moment Richard es-
capped from the unpleasant home atmos-
phere and took his little ones out for a
walk.
To Clarice the whole scene had been
painful. Slight indications of growing
unhappness between her friend and her
husband had been betrayed before, but
nothing like this. And it had been such
pleasant home. She remembered how
proud Eva had been of her handsome,
even tempered husband. how devotedly
she had seemed to love him in those early
days. She recalled the tender condolences
Eva had poured into her ears of his
patience. his constant kindness and gen.
erous devotion; but now. i'll her impa-
thence and i'll temper everything was
wrong-petty faults and foibles, that
would have passed unnoticed in the old
days, were dwelt upon harshly and mag
nified into serious defects.
A merry, thoughtless girl, fond of
society and gay pleasures, Eva had taken
upon herself the duties of wife and
mother without thought of how weary
the burden might prove to be.
For two or three years she bore them
remarkably well; she was very proud of
her handsome husband. her pleasant home
and her bright, sprightly little girl whom
every one admired and petted. But with
the coming of the second child her cares
increased, the household duties became
heavier. and her confinement to home
closer. She never realized how largely
the nervous irritation. which made her SC
cross and fault finding, was caused by
these things.
Confined to her close, warm rooms day
after day. with rarely any other society
than her little ones. who shared her irri.
liability. the troubles had increased
rapidly.
From AN occasional impatient word, ii
had grown to sharp, angry reproache:
and constant fault finding. until Richard
was beginning to seek pleasure in the
society of friends outside, only to be met
with still harsher words each time ON hi:
return. Thoughtless and ignorant of the
laws of health. it never occurred 10 either
that a ride or walk each day, few
hours in the open air. would do more tC
cure all this trouble than would eithe
sermons on good resolutions.
The day of Clarice's visit everything
had gone wrong. 1t had been very warm
and Eva had spent many hours in he
close, hot kitchen. over the ironing anC
baking, while May, mischievous littl
puss. had been unusually troublesome
scarcely out of one piece of mischief he
fore she was into another, keeping tn
baby in constant fretfulness by her teas
ing. until Eva > patience was exhausted
without the additional veXation of having
her husband take advantage of hal
holiday to attend baseball game, an
delay his return beyond the usual hour.
"Oh, if girls only knew when the
were well off they would never marry,
she SAID bitterly, as she seated herself g
the parlor window with her frieno
Just look at the coy life | led befor
marriage: and now it is work, worl
from morning till night, no chance fc
rest or recreation. no opportunity to e
out. and the children drive NE nearl
wild. while my husband cares no MOI
than a block for all my troubles. Oh,
wish were free once more. l would
- she broke off abruptly, and leane
out of the window. For heaven S sake,
she cried. exciredly, ''just look at TIL
child May. come out of the road tn
instant, or you'll get a good whippin,
Dick Hayes, are you crazy! There TIN
child in the middle of the road. liable
be run over at any moment A sma
man you are to take care of the children'
/ May was in the street, running hel
] and there, kicking at some bits of stol
! and now and then stopping to dane
J whring and twisting, jumping like
ballet dancer, while her father, on Il
walk near her, was pushing the baby ca